Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 1: Should you add Jags' rookie wideout?

Going from Week 1 to Week 2 is a much different than if we were going from Week 8 into Week 9. You should be much more aggressive on the waiver wire this week

David Gonos | Sep 9, 2014

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 1: Should you add Jags' rookie wideout? /

Going from Week 1 to Week 2 is a much different than if we were going from Week 8 into Week 9. You should be much more aggressive on the waiver wire this week than you would be in the middle of the season, once trends and playing time have leveled out.

Unlike Fantasy Baseball, where the regular season is 21 weeks long, Fantasy Football has a 13-week regular season. In Fantasy Baseball, you are taught to remain patient early on, since they play every day. In Fantasy Football, you have to react pretty quickly if you hope to get to the playoffs.

Fantasy Fast Forward: Breaking down Week 1 | Week 1 coverage hub

There were plenty of injuries to stars this past weekend, which makes the competition on the waiver wire even stronger than usual after Week 1. Also, figure more teams will attempt to pick up multiple players, so there will be more waiver rounds than usual.

Before we go too deep, remember there were rumors that Josh Gordon might try to get his suspension reduced, so if you’re in a deep league and can afford to spend a roster spot on him, go for it. He’s owned in over 60 percent of CBS leagues, though, which is why I don’t mention him below.

Each week, we’ll share 8-12 players we think are worth a look in standard fantasy football leagues based on performance and upcoming matchups. Each of the players listed is owned in fewer than 30 percent of leagues on CBS Sports, ESPN and Yahoo! leagues.

Quarterbacks

Jake Locker, Tennessee (Owned in 27 percent of CBSSports leagues, 5.9 percent of ESPN leagues and 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues) -- Locker is in a contract year in Tennessee and he entered 2014 with high hopes because of new head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s history with quarterbacks. Locker didn’t disappoint against Kansas City, getting the entire offense involved in completing passes to eight different players. Locker works as a good backup QB if you own someone like Robert Griffin III or Tony Romo.

Running Backs

Justin Forsett, Baltimore(one percent, 1.2 percent and 10 percent) -- Every Ray Rice owner should be working to get Forsett. The Ravens cut Rice Monday, and Bernard Pierce didn’t impress against the Bengals Sunday, giving way to Forsett, who turned in a great game. Forsett will be the hot pickup in your league, but look at it like this: He’s a tiny running back who has experience in Gary Kubiak’s system already, but that doesn’t guarantee him the job for the next dozen weeks. The Ravens have declined to name a starter for Thursday’s game against a Steelers defense that gave up 183 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the Browns, though coach John Harbaugh did say that Forsett and Pierce will “both play a lot.” That could make Forsett a nice flex option for Fantasy owners. But beyond that, expect the Ravens to work in …

Star quarterbacks find tough sledding in Week 1; more Snap Judgments

(two percent, 0.3 percent, 1.2 percent)

Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland(two percent, 1.6 percent and three percent) -- The rookie’s two-TD game was overshadowed by fellow rookie running back Terrance West. Unfortunately, West is likely owned in your league (70 percent of CBS leagues), so taking a chance on Crowell isn’t a bad idea, depending on the seriousness of Ben Tate’s knee injury. Crowell was the 2011 SEC Freshman of the Year at Georgia before he was cut from the team for off-field issues. Ben Tate’s owners should look to add Crowell, if they don’t already have West.

Bobby Rainey, Tampa Bay (two percent, 1.8 percent and four percent-- – While Rainey’s fantasy value is certainly tied to the severity of Doug Martin’s knee injury, he actually did show more life behind the Bucs’ subpar offensive line. It’s important to note Tampa Bay had trouble moving the ball on the ground in general against a tough Panthers defense, and Rainey did have a costly fumble late in the fourth quarter.

Lance Dunbar, Dallas(28 percent, 5.6 percent and 10 percent) -- He didn’t do anything special, but all DeMarco Murray owners should pay attention to the waiver wire to see if Murray’s backup gets cut for one of the other flavors of the week. Murray gets hurt a lot, and Dunbar would be a good, pass-catching handcuff in his place.

Benny Cunningham, St. Louis(26 percent, 4.4 percent and 12 percent) -- Another backup running back worth picking up if you have room. While Zac Stacy is still the unquestioned starter, he’s not dazzling by any means, and this backfield seems to be trending toward a timeshare. With that said, the Rams had Cunningham last season -- and still chose to draft Tre Mason.

Week 1 of the 2014 NFL Season

Antonio Brown

While returning a punt against Cleveland, Antonio Brown tried to hurdle Spencer Lanning and ended up drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty when his foot hit the punter in the face.

Antonio Brown

Joe Flacco

With eight seconds left in the first half against Cincinnati, Joe Flacco and the Ravens lined up at the 15-yard line for a shot at the end zone. But Flacco instead ran toward the sideline, failed to get out of bounds, and tripped as he attempted this pass. The clock expired.

A.J. Green

Wide receiver A.J. Green of the Bengals keeps his eye on the ball, before scoring a touchdown on this play.

Chris McCain

Ryan Allen of the New England Patriots has his first-quarter punt blocked by Chris McCain of the Miami Dolphins.

Tony Romo

Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys found himself on the ground a bunch in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Vernon Davis

Vernon Davis pulls in one of his two touchdown receptions against Dallas

Antoine Bethea

Antoine Bethea breaks up a pass intended for Jason Witten.

Dallas Cowboys

The view before kickoff between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers in Arlington.

Robert McClain

Robert McClain of the Atlanta Falcons intercepts a touchdown pass intended for Brandin Cooks of the New Orleans Saints.

Julio Jones

Julio Jones of the Falcons loses control of the ball before he can cross the goal line.

Marques Colston

Marques Colston lost this fumble in overtime, leading to a game-winning scoring drive by the Falcons.

Fred Jackson

Fred Jackson dives for the endzone against the Bears but came up short.

Matt Forte

Matt Forte had 17 carries for 82 yards in Chicago's overtime loss to Buffalo.

Alshon Jeffery

Alshon Jeffery didn't score against the Bills but did pull in five passes for 71 yards.

Brandon Marshall

Brandon Marshall hangs on to an 11-yard pass from Jay Cutler for a third-quarter touchdown.

Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns but was also intercepted twice in an overtime loss to Buffalo.

Dan Carpenter

Dan Carpenter kicked three field goals in Buffalo's upset win at Chicago, including a game-winning 27-yarder in overtime.

Chicago Bears pregame

The Bears take the field for their season opener.

Brandon Marshall

Brandon Marshall questions an incomplete pass call at the end of the third quarter. The call was challenged and overturned for a complete pass.

New York Jets pregame

A tribute to the late Joan Rivers is seen on the video board at MetLife Stadium during the third quarter of a game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders.

Chris Ivory

A 71-yard touchdown run by Chris Ivory provided the deciding points for the Jets in their victory over visiting Oakland.

Nick Folk

Nick Folk of the New York Jets kicks a field goal against the Oakland Raiders.

Rod Streater

Rod Streater gave the Raiders a brief 7-3 lead with this 12-yard score on a pass from rookie Derek Carr.

Derek Carr

Derek Carr completed 20 of 32 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort against the Jets.

James Jones

In his first game as a Raider, James Jones made three grabs for 36 yards and scored once.

Robert Griffin III

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is sacked by Houston Texans linebacker Brooks Reed (58) and linebacker Mike Mohamed .

Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck managed to get this ball across the goal line for a touchdown before he went out of bounds.

Hakeem Nicks

Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks of the Indianapolis Colts leaps over and is tackled by strong safety T.J. Ward of the Denver Broncos.

Montee Ball

Montee Ball accentuates his scoring run with a dive into the endzone.

Jared Cook

Jared Cook of the St. Louis Rams makes a catch against Robert Blanton of the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings beat the Rams 34-6.

Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs reaches out for the ball in the endzone as Blidi Wreh-Wilson of the Tennessee Titans defends during the second half.

Tyler Eifert

Tight end Tyler Eifert of the Cincinnati Bengals suffered an elbow injury early in the game against Baltimore and didn't return to the game.

Tyler Eifert

Team officials tend to Tyler Eifert.

Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts as he is taken off the field during the first half of the game against the Tennessee Titans. He injured his Achilles and could be out for the remainder of the season.

Justin Hunter

Ron Parker of the Kansas City Chiefs breaks up a pass intended for Justin Hunter of the Tennessee Titans.

Linval Joseph

Linval Joseph of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after sacking Austin Davis of the St. Louis Rams.

Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger looks to pass downfield in front of Buster Skrine of the Cleveland Browns.

Alan Ball

Alan Ball of the Jacksonville Jaguars intercepts a pass in the end zone intended for Brent Celek.

Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski celebrates his second-quarter touchdown as teammate Danny Amendola looks on.

Josh McCown

Josh McCown is hit by defensive end Charles Johnson of the Carolina Panthers. McCown threw an interception on the play.

Jordy Nelson

Jordy Nelson stepped out of bounds before he could score on this play. He led Green Bay with nine receptions and 83 yards.

New York Jets pregame

The scene at MetLife Stadium.

Wide Receivers

Allen Hurns, Jacksonville(five percent, 7.6 percent and 12 percent) – After a huge preseason, paired with Cecil Shorts’ bad hamstring, we should have expected more from the rookie out of Miami. Shorts has been dealing with groin and hamstring problems since last year, so Hurns and rookie Marqise Lee are getting all the playing time they can handle. Don’t get too cute with who you cut for him, though, as this is still a rookie receiver -- in Jacksonville. You’ll need another productive game or two from him before you consider starting him.

John Brown, Arizona (10 percent, 0.9 percent and seven percent) -- I mentioned him last week as a player to add, and he scored a touchdown against San Diego, picking up five targets from Carson Palmer. He’s obviously the third option in this offense, but we’re going to see a lot of big plays from the rookie speedster out of Pittsburg State.

Andrew Hawkins, Cleveland(29 percent, 11.7 percent and 25 percent) -- I balked at the possibility of Hawkins doing anything a few weeks ago, but the Browns have to get the ball to someone other than their tight end in the passing game. Only nine other wide receivers were targeted more than Hawkins was (10) against the Steelers.

Brian Quick, St. Louis(two percent, 0.3 percent and four percent) -- The third-year receiver out of Appalachian State caught seven passes for 99 yards on nine targets. The Rams just don’t look good offensively, with Shaun Hill (strained quad) or Austin Davis running the offense, so it’s difficult imagine a lot of scoring chances for Quick -- or any of the other Rams’ receivers at this point.

Tight Ends

Larry Donnell, N.Y. Giants(Zero percent, 0.3 percent and one percent) – The 6-foot-6 rookie tight end was expected to be part of a TE-trio with the Giants, but he led the Giants in all of the receiving categories Monday night against Detroit. Tyler Eifert’s owners might need Donnell considering the former’s dislocated elbow. Donnell finish with five catches on eight targets for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Kickers

Mike Nugent, Cincinnati (19 percent, 7.6 percent and five percent) -- He had six field-goal attempts in Week 1, but the odds of that happening again are pretty slim. He hasn’t made more than 20 field goals in either of the past two seasons. If you’re going to drop a kicker, make sure you use your second or third waiver pick for Nugent, and not your first.

Defense/Special Teams

Dolphins defense (21 percent, 3.2 percent and eight percent) – Miami picked up four sacks against New England, as Olivier Vernon and Chris McCain shook things up for Tom Brady in the backfield. Miami travels to Buffalo this week, and they’ll face a Bills team that surprised us in Week 1 with close to 200 rushing yards and 23 points. But the Phins defense isn’t as bad as the Bears'. I would have suggested picking up the Jets defense this week after an impressive Week 1, but Rex Ryan’s DST lines up against a Packers offense that will have had 10 days to prepare.

Published Sep 9, 2014

DAVID GONOS